F1 world champion Max Verstappen ‘could be prosecuted in France’ over video of him driving 20mph over the speed limit in Aston Martin’s new £3million hypercar in a tunnel near Monaco
- The Dutch driver is enjoying a well-deserved break during the F1 season
- But his violation of the French motorway speed limit could have consequences
- Max Verstappen is brutally told he will NEVER be as good as F1’s best drivers
Footage has been circulating on social media of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen appearing to exceed the French speed limit while driving a £2.7 million Aston Martin ‘hypercar’.
The two-time world champion has been enjoying some time off during the height of the Formula 1 season and was on holiday to Sardinia last week with his girlfriend, F1 scion Kelly Piquet.
But the video – which is undated – appears to show the Monaco-based driver back in his native Riviera, cruising along the A8 motorway at a blistering pace.
Filmed by his friend Mark Cox, who posted the video to Instagram, the Dutch driver is seen maneuvering the Aston Martin Valkyrie through the Canta-Galet tunnel on the motorway on the outskirts of Nice.
The video shows the speedometer on the dashboard registering the car’s speed of 124 km/h – 14 mph above the 110 km/h speed limit on the highway.
Max Verstappen took his £2.7 million Aston Martin Valkyrie for a spin on the French Riviera
But the two-time world champion flouted the speed rules with his 124km/h tunnel ride
Speed limits in tunnels such as Canta-Galet will be further reduced to 77 km/h in the region.
But the 25-year-old failed to heed highway regulations as he drove one-handed out of the tunnel, into the Cote d’Azur sun, in the left lane – in violation of traffic rules.
Verstappen also wore helicopter-quality headphones, which come standard with the Adrian Newey-designed behemoth due to the noise made by the car’s twelve-cylinder engine.
Drivers are alerted to traffic signals and sirens by a microphone outside the car, which transmits the sound to the noise-canceling headphones.
Wearing headphones while driving is also illegal in France Nice Matin speculated that it would not be unlikely if Verstappen was prosecuted for releasing the video.
Many fans have expressed anger at the video, with some commenting that his behavior “put the lives of others at risk.”
Red Bull has been contacted for comment.
Taking in the views of the Alpes-Maritimes could indicate that the driver is in a hurry to get back to the track ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, his home race.
But despite chasing a third title in a row, Verstappen has sometimes portrayed a pessimistic figure in interviews, often hinting at the possibility of early retirement.
In late April, he criticized the calendar and warned of possible burnout, saying, “If we keep expanding the calendar and the whole weekend is that long, at some point you ask yourself, “is it worth it?”
The Dutch driver enjoyed a mid-season holiday with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet and made a trip to Sardinia
In the last race before the break, victory at Spa meant Verstappen’s eighth win in a row
But the driver has warned of the dangers of burnout and hinted at a life outside the sport
“I like to race, I like to win. I know of course you have a good life because of the salary and everything, but is it really a good life? I think sometimes you get to a point in your career where you might want to do other things.
“I know I have a contract until the end of 2028, then we’ll look again. But I do have the feeling that if it gets too much at a certain point, it’s time for a change.’
Halfway through the season, Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings with no less than 314 points.
His biggest rival is teammate Sergio Perez, who has amassed a relatively paltry 189.